


The Resonance Project

by ConfusedUnit



Series: It's All Just a Game, Until You Get Hurt [2]
Category: HLVRAI - Fandom, Half Life VR But The AI Is Self Aware
Genre: (canon divergence tag technically for all of them but mainly for Dr. Freeman himself), (more tags pending on additional chapters), (of NPCS), Background Character Death, Canon Divergence, Coomer Clones die intentionally in chapter 4, Experiment gone wrong, Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death, It's My AU So I Get To Choose The Backstory, but it's just them getting shot offscreen like they always do
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-12
Updated: 2020-12-14
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:47:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,304
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26426608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ConfusedUnit/pseuds/ConfusedUnit
Summary: A collection of memories of the characters from my other fic, Universe of Unreality. As they remember these past events, they will be posted in full here, as they won't be discussing them in full in the other story.Chapter One - Dr. Freeman's first Resonance test.Chapter Two - Bubby's experiment comes to an end.Chapter Three - Tommy does some thinking.Chapter Four - Dr. Coomer learns the truth.
Series: It's All Just a Game, Until You Get Hurt [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1902934
Comments: 18
Kudos: 38





	1. Chapter 1

April 18th, 1998 - Crystal Resonance Test

Dr. Freeman wasn't feeling well, that morning. He'd had the worst flu of his life for the past two weeks, and was finally recovering. He knew that the exposure to samples he worked with could cause lowered a immune system, but he figured it was more that someone else at the facility had gotten him terribly ill. Probably Calhoun the last time they saw each other, with his traveling all over the complex, and his insistence on talking nonstop during the morning tram rides.

But he was recovering now, no longer contagious and cleared to return to work. Despite the test results, he still felt weak and fatigued, sipping at a flavorful soup from his usual coffee thermos. Calhoun had heard from someone, who heard from someone, who got lectured by some 'health food connoisseur' that 'bone broth' would cure all ills. Apparently, it wasn't soup. He didn't care enough to correct himself.

So here he was, sitting in a chair in the observation room, unable to run his own test. If he was honest, he felt a bit bitter about it. He'd spent his college years on his theory, and his two years at Black Mesa designing this test, and now...the first real test wasn't even being done by his own hands. He knew the restriction was for his own safety, due to the risk of radiation exposure when he was still recovering, but...still. It was the principal of the matter.

Instead it was a coworker, Professor Bailey, in the HEV suit downstairs. He had nothing against Bailey, the man was great to work with, but he'd never trained for this. It was so much more than just pushing a sample into a test laser. There were failsafes, safeguards, protocols in place that had to be followed, and Bailey didn't know most of them. His coworkers told him he was just being paranoid. But as he watched the crystal enter the laser down below, he could tell even before the alarms went off that he was right to have worried. The sample went in too fast. And it shouldn't be that shade of green.

He ignored the panic of the scientists around him, focused entirely on what he was doing, as he lunged forward to grab the intercom. "Bailey! Drop the cart and get to the door!" He shouted over the noise, watching as the helmeted man looked up to the window. "Now!"

"Dr. Freeman!" Someone was yelling at him now, and he turned to look at who it could be. Dr. Birdwell, apparently. Didn't he see he was busy? "We need to-"

Both their chairs were quickly yanked back, as the damage resistant glass in front of them shattered. He watched in awe as he heard the tones from the room on the other side, and as the shards seemed to vanish into thin air. He'd been right, about resonance based teleportation. What a scientific breakthrough. It took him a bit too long to realize that the blast had also destroyed the main console.

"We definitely can't shut it down now!" Birdwell's voice rang out through the din.

He blinked slowly, looking from the window to the door. He'd argue with them later, laugh at them for calling him paranoid. But for now...he pushed himself to his feet, arms flying out to balance as the floor shook. "Evacuate Sector C." His tone gave no room for dismissal. "I'll shut it down."

"B-but-" God, Birdwell seemed to have almost a compulsive need to argue. "Dr. Freeman! The console-"

"Is not damaged inside the chamber!" He glared back at the older man. "Go, and start evacuating everyone you can. I'm sending up Bailey and the others. Once they're through, seal the doors." Just in case. A final safety precaution. As he'd fucking demanded be included. Seriously, why did people only listen to him before starting tests? He was twenty seven, not a child.

He ran out of the room before anyone else could argue. A thermos rolled across the floor, contents spilling out across the tile.

-

He was really glad now that he'd run track in Uni. He'd been teased about it initially after his hiring, but it certainly helped in an emergency. He'd sprinted down the halls, vaulted overloaded computer terminals, and sent every panicking scientist that he could find up to safety.

As he ran, he wondered how he was able to take this all in stride. Was it because he'd expected such failure, and planned accordingly? Was it because Calhoun's conspiracy bullshit had finally gotten to him? ...Actually, now that he'd thought about it, it was probably the Tylenol he'd taken earlier. Or at least the Black Mesa Tylenol equivalent, this felt way stronger than any time he'd had to take some before he worked there. Another test maybe? Damn, he really needed to start reading the consent forms they made him sign.

He shook his head. Right, back on track, the failing test. He couldn't help but feel grateful that at the very least, they hadn't changed his test plans, other than the swapping of the person doing it. They'd shown him several crystals, and he'd chosen the smallest one available, wanting a first true test to have the smallest chance for failure, but you can never account for human error. At least he could look at the data later, confirm that's what went wrong.

Oh right, paying attention. Someone was yelling at him, pointing at a wounded scientist being carried away by a security guard. He should probably...listen. "-and I can't open the door alone!"

Oh shit. Bailey. "I've still got clearance, right? I'll help you open it."

The man seemed relieved, hurrying through the broken door to the closest scanner. "We'll need to shut the doors again immediately- there's no guarantee this will be contained, otherwise!"

He crossed the room, scanning his eyes before turning to watch the door open. He saw Bailey run into the 'airlock', but was much more caught up in the events happening behind him. For all the destruction this cascade was close to causing, and had caused, it was almost...beautiful. Shades of light, from orange through to green, accompanied by the tones he felt more than heard. It was haunting. It was awing.

...He was being yelled at again. "Dr. Freeman! We have to go!"

Right. He had other plans. "Take Bailey and any others, and evacuate Sector C." He turned to Bailey as he reached up and pulled off his ID, handing it to him. "Once you all get through the observation room, scan this outside the door."

Bailey tilted his head at him. "But, what about-"

"Don't argue, Bailey. Please." The stress of the situation was starting to sink through the pain medication. "Trust me."

Bailey stared at him through the helmet, before he nodded. He knew the weight behind the words. He was a smart man. "...Godspeed, Freeman." Without another word, he turned and slammed his fist into one of the scanners, shattering the glass.

As the doors shut, Dr. Freeman stepped into the test chamber, closed his eyes, and felt the crystal's tones echo through the room. Through him. He felt his lab coat whip in the wind caused by the failing reaction, the same wind that ripped his hair tie away as he tossed away his necktie.

When his eyes opened again, they were the clearest they'd been all day, and his mental state matched. He had a job to complete.  
He sprinted across the room, stopping at the lower console. The shutdown safeguard he'd insisted on was that not only could the experiment be shut down from the observatory, but also that it could be shut down from the chamber.

But this kind of resonance? He'd heard cries upstairs about being unable to shut it down. Which meant he'd have to do a manual override. Normally that would be done from both the outer console and the inner upper console. To do this himself, he'd have to run both the upper and lower console through the procedure.

He took a breath to try to steady himself. He'd known as he ran down that he'd be risking his life. He wasn't afraid of that. But only now, as he stared up into the crystal's lights, did he realize exactly what he'd lose if he failed. This wasn't about his work, but his coworkers. Bailey had mentioned his granddaughter's recital coming up. Eli and Kleiner laughing as they entertained baby Alyx. Calhoun's overconfident grin as he talked to anyone who would listen.

...But it wasn't just them at risk, was it? A full cascade would damage worse than just that part of the facility, putting his friends in other departments at risk too. He thought of the look in Bubby's eyes when he'd finally seen the stars for the first time. Tommy's laugh when the strangest things amused him. Dr. Coomer, his mentor, with a spark in his eye and a smile on his face as he debated theory.

If he failed...they could lose everything. He could lose everything. Failure was not an option, even if success seemed impossible. But that was his job. To see the theory, even if impossible to prove. To find a way to prove it. To make it show itself.

He hadn't failed yet. And he wouldn't fail here.

He set the sequence to start on the lower console, scaling the ladder to do the same on the top. He had little time to think, as he hurried back down. He had to do his best to focus.

"Five." He spoke, feeling his voice more than hearing it, as he went up and down, going through the motions.

"Four." He would succeed, and the crisis would stop. The resonance would quiet, the cascade would slow.

"Three." They would never approve this project again. But they'd already proven everything he'd set out to find. In this one chaotic moment.

"Two." The tones changed, the lights moving away from green. The air itself was changing, returning to normalcy.

"One." He stood behind the upper console, and threw the final switch.

He slowly moved down the ladder, walking across the rubble to reach the front of the machine. The glow was back to the yellow it should be, the only echoing through the shaking room being that of the laser itself. He glanced up to the broken window, turning his attention back to the machine. He rested his hands on the sample cart, waiting for the machine to start to slow.

It was only as he pulled the cart backwards that he realized he'd been too slow, that he'd fallen out of sequence. The machine rumbled as it finished shutting down, but the crystal itself, so close to him, began to sing.

With a loud electrical crack, and a flash of green, the machine shut down. It was silent. The crystal was cracked. And the room was empty.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Subject 83's project is no longer required.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Bubby burns a lot of people away. It's not described in detail, just mentioned that he does it. Also, mention of syringes.

August 2nd, 2003 - Termination of Human Research Project

Bubby knew something bad was coming. But he still hadn't expected this.

He'd been taken from his dorm, another interruption of his day that would irritate him, and told to report back to Biological Research. As if that wasn't a bad enough start, they had forbidden him from contacting Dr. Coomer, staring that they would take care of informing him about the change of their plans.

He'd expected punishment. He was always doing something wrong, and so he was always in trouble. He'd expected tests, more research, getting shoved back into his tube for more data. Something awful, but something usual.

But not this. He never truly thought this would happen. What could he have done so wrong?

"What??" He was in the middle of the small room, staring at a screen on the wall. He was surrounded, scientists standing along the walls of the room, and a guard blocking the door. He didn't recognize any of them. He couldn't tell if that was better or worse, with what he just learned.

"As I said, Subject 83, we have decided to end our research that involves you." The man on the screen was the head of Bubby's creation project, the one who called the shots when it came to his life. Bubby had never learned his name, and in that moment, he no longer cared. "I hope you can understand."

"And I'm gonna guess from the party you've thrown for me in here that I'm not allowed to just be transferred to a new department?" He was scared, of course, but more than anything...he was angry. Furious, honestly. Enraged.

He knew Black Mesa thought of him as their plaything, they always had. But to shut down his project after so long...they wouldn't let him go. Not with what he knew.

"No, Subject 83. I'm afraid your contract has ended with our company. Loose ends, you see."

Loose ends...contract ended...he knew that phrasing, and abruptly made a connection he'd been too hurt to make before. Oh God...

"Ended, huh?" He straightened his posture, glaring at the screen. "Just like what you said about Dr. Freeman, when you told me he wasn't coming back to work?"

The man on the screen flinched. "Subject 83-"

"You kill him too? Once he was no longer useful to you?"

"No! Subject-"

"Two years all you needed from him?" He shook with rage, the bottom of his lab coat starting to smolder.

"Dr. Freeman's leaving of the company is classified."

"And so am I!" He snapped, gritting his teeth. "Five years it's been, and you won't even tell me the truth before you kill me?"

"As far as anyone will know about you, Subject 83, there will have been an accident in Biological Research. Who's to say what happened after that?"

He felt his blood run cold. They were actually going to kill him. This was the end for him. No more trips to see the stars, no more movie nights, no more late night laundry room arcade tournaments, no more research.

The scientists around the room started to close in on him, each poorly hiding a syringe. Tranquilizer, he could tell even from that distance. Did they really think he would go quietly, snuffed out like a candle?

They hadn't just made a perfect human. He'd seen the military notes in his file, when he'd finally broken in to gain access to them. He was also a weapon. An ever burning flame. A wildfire distilled into a single human form.

No, he would not go calmly into the void. He would burn himself down, before then. Go out on his own terms.

"Call it an accident all you want." He adjusted his glasses, a wicked grin forming on his face. "He'll never believe you."

In a single movement, Bubby swung his arms out straight, palms facing the walls to his sides, and a ball of flame engulfed the room.

Two seconds later, an alarm screamed out through the building.

Thirty seconds after that, the door burst off it's hinges, and a flame covered scientist ran out through the halls, flames consuming everything in his path.

Two minutes later, as the roof collapsed upon him, he cackled, watching the stars one last time through the cracks in the rubble.

"Call this an accident, motherfuckers."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bubby does not die under that rubble. But maybe he wasn't supposed to die in that room, either...


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy does some thinking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning in the second section for alcohol, and mentions of a growing alcohol dependency. Calhoun's not doing too well.

During Second Major Temporal Event

One of the things about being of a species that could effect time is that you don't process time as other species did. Or, do? Could? Tommy was unsure of the grammar to use.

What he did know, was that it was hard to date thoughts and experiences when that just...wasn't how his brain worked. His memory was much more...abstract than that. It was based off of temporal events.

When time is your jam, it was much easier to pay attention to the times that it didn't work, as opposed to the times that it did. He'd labeled the most recent event, when they'd gotten Dr. Freeman back, as the Second Major Temporal Event. The first, of course, was arriving there in the first place.

Adding to his already disjointed memory was the exhaustion he'd been under for far too long. But he knew the memories were still there, even if he didn't know where they were at the time.

He'd find them eventually, if he looked hard enough.

Before First Major Temporal Event

Tommy turned the empty can in his hands, lost in thought. He had hoped that game night would still be a good tradition to keep up with, even with the circumstances, since humans tended to do better under constant conditions. But the tension in the air told him this was less of a consistency thing, and more of a 'safety in numbers' thing. He could still work with that.

"And they still won't answer me!" Calhoun dropped his gesturing hand to the table, other hand holding the beer he was glaring at. He'd been skirting the line of what was healthy to drink for a while now, but he'd just managed to drop the stress smoking he'd picked up after Dr. Freeman's disappearance, and no one was quite ready to start the next conversation yet. "Six damn years, and- and they just..." He dropped his head to the table.

Tommy reached over to rest a hand on his shoulder. "I know..."

"And- and now Harold's gone, no one can find anything about Bubby still..." He turned his head to look up at him. "...'m almost scared they're gonna...come for more of us."

"Black Mesa isn't targeting the Science Team, Mr. Calhoun. What...what reason would they have to do so?"

He shrugged, almost spilling his beer. "Why would they suddenly vanish Gordon and end testing of resonance in Anom? Why would the main Bio department burst into flames? Why would there be calls for clean up teams to the other half of Bio, and suddenly there're no Harolds around?" He struggled to sit up again. "It's...it's suspicious as hell. And I know I gotta be on their shitlist from buggin' them so much. It's a wonder I've still got my clearance."

That was Tommy's doing, though he knew he couldn't admit it. He'd advocated to his dad on Calhoun's behalf, and his dad convinced Administration to look the other way. Protection, even if a roundabout way. "You just think it's a conspiracy." Even as he said it, a part of him agreed with the other man's words.

"'course I do. Fuck the government!" He muttered to himself for a bit, before he sighed. "...Can't leave though. Can't leave without him."

He smiled a bit. "Mr. Freeman?"

"We were thick as thieves, and twice as sharp. Promised him I wouldn't quit until he left." He rolled his shoulders. "And well...I don't think he left. Not without saying goodbye."

He heard a quiet conversation going on in his kitchen, and thought for a moment. He and his dad were looking into what had happened, and he knew he'd probably be tagged in soon, if his dad was really getting as close as he said he was. He moved a hand to one of Calhoun's. Time to take a risk. "...Mr. Calhoun."

He blinked slowly. "...Yeah, Tom?"

"...I'm going to- to find out what happened. But I need- need you to trust me." He felt himself shaking. "Do you trust me?"

"'course I do, Tom. Trust you the most outta...almost anyone."

He gently squeezed his hand. "Then you can't tell anyone I told you this. But you- you keep them all safe, okay? Mr. Vance, Mrs. Vance, Mr. Kleiner, little Alyx..." He shook him lightly. "You protect them, you hear me?"

Calhoun almost looked sober, for a moment. "Loud and clear."

"Once...once I figure it all out, I'll come back for you all. We'll- we'll make sure Black Mesa pays. Together." He smiled a bit. "Because we're the Science Team. And- and we stick together."

Calhoun finally grinned. "Hell yeah."

Late During First Major Temporal Event

Tommy would regret that moment for the rest of his life, when he froze up as the military assaulted Gordon. That he'd been unable to stop them.

He'd seen the look in Benrey's eyes as he'd fled, knew him enough at that point to realize he hadn't meant harm even as it happened.

Bubby, though? To betray Gordon...not just Gordon, but the whole team's trust...Tommy's trust...

As Dr. Coomer ran off, Tommy's arm shot out, grabbing Bubby by his collar and slamming him against the wall.

"Agh- Tommy! Tommy, let go, we have to go!"

"Why would- why would you do that?" His voice was strained. "Why?"

"They're following him- they just want him! We can-" He winced. "I thought we could get him back- we just have to-"

He slammed him against the wall again. "Just had to what? Kill him first?"

"No! Tommy-" His hands shot out to grab Tommy's wrists. "You have to believe me-"

"I owe you nothing."

"We have to play their game to get out of here alive! They shot at him before, but how was I supposed to know they'd-"

Another slam. This time, it left Bubby's glasses askew, and Tommy could see the fear in those blue-grey eyes. For a moment, they caught him off guard. Bubby could act like an adult as much as he wanted, but there was still a part of him that had never had the chance to grow up. And any human would be a child, compared to Tommy's own species. …Maybe the scientist just didn't understand. "They. Are trying. To kill us."

Loud steps echoed behind him. "Freeze!"

"Tommy! Let go!!" Bubby's fear was finally blatant, written all over his face.

He knew that Gordon would survive. Black Mesa wouldn't risk killing off one of their experiments, after all. But the fact that Bubby would sell them out like this, even if it was at the coaxing of Benrey who literally didn't know any better...Fuck. He was angry, and he felt the grudge starting to form and fester. He forced it to unravel, break apart and fade.

Bubby wasn't a murderer. He wasn't a cruel man. But he was a scared man, and scared humans do the stupidest things, because no matter how old they get they never forget how to act like a child.

Well. Maybe a temporary time out would get it through his thick skull.

Tommy gave Bubby a sharp glare, and dropped him roughly to the floor. "Okay."

"Ow!" Bubby winced, trying to scramble to his feet.

Tommy knocked him back down as he stepped over him. "I assume," He glanced back at the soldiers. "You're here to collect Subject 83?"

Bubby froze. "Wait-"

"Because no one is permitted to leave Black Mesa?" He dragged out the sentence to prove the point. Playing by the 'rules' would no longer do them any good. They had each other, and couldn't trust anyone else, regardless of how unhealthy that sounded when he thought it aloud. "Go for it." He crossed his arms. "He's all yours."

"Tommy! Please-"

In a flash of yellow, he was gone.

Just Before First Major Temporal Event

Few memories of his are hazy. But this one is. He remembers it only vaguely.

His father came back, told him what he'd found. The experiments. The location. Asked if he could take this project on, protect his friends until they could be extracted.

His father had said he'd been too busy keeping Black Mesa out of even worse trouble, to keep an eye on this too. That he'd also been tasked with checking into Aperture.

Tommy had agreed.

Even for someone able to disconnect from time, it felt so long ago. And it hurt to think about.

It was the last time he'd been able to hug his father.

He missed him so much.

Early Into First Major Temporal Event

It got lonely, during the tests. The others, as connected to time as they were, never remembered anything. Other than Benrey, who he had been surprised to meet for the first time, after hearing so much about him from his dad.

Well, guess there was an exception to every rule, after all.

But he couldn't always talk to Benrey about his fears and worries.

…Though, he could make someone that he could.

He reached out into the universe, and gathered materials. He collected and pressed, molded and created, before adding time to the mix.

He'd always wanted a loyal companion. Sunkist would be that.

Stardust and dirt of Earth, blood of Galaxy and Space, Time and Life and Kindness, and so so much Love. And finally, a bit of his own life Essence, to jumpstart the process.

When he first lifted the small squirming puppy up in his hands, shining such a vibrant yellow just like him, a hint of blue around the eyes a blessing from his dad, he knew he had made something extraordinary.

He was the perfect dog.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dr. Coomer finds the truth. He makes a choice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dr. Coomer's entry into the Resonance Project was always tragic. He's the last one to go missing (of those who are taken), he spends all this time trying to figure out what happened, and once he does, he loses access to those memories for a very long time. This is what happened right before.
> 
> Originally, this part was supposed to be more of the final section than the first two sections. But now it's exposition, and then a small bit based off of the first fire for this idea. The comment in one of the commentaries 'When Dr. Coomer kills a Coomer Clone he shoots himself in the face and feels it' stuck in my head, as did the fact that Dr. Coomer in series treats his clones as not just something disposable, but also as something he must destroy. So I tried to figure out how he got to that point, where he's okay with the first, and compulsively feels the second.  
> This is also the incident that explains why all of Coomer's lockers are empty in UoU. They don't want him to be a threat again.

July 19th, 2004 

He had a wife, once.

Harold was unsure when exactly that fact had turned to just a blunt statement. Probably soon after, if he really thought about it. He didn't know how to feel about that.

It wasn't 'just a statement' for any bad reason between them, he had loved her. And he was sure he still did, which is why he knew that her leaving was what she needed. He'd been coping poorly with...work. Work incidents. After Dr. Freeman's disappearance, and especially after Bubby's, he'd...invested fully into his work. As long as he was working, he didn't have to think about how much it hurt. He'd always told Dr. Freeman 'being a workaholic is no solution to anything, Gordon', but...he'd fallen into the same trap. Oops.

It had been wearing him down, he knew it. Knew it before his wife had brought it up. But he couldn't stop. If he worked just a bit harder, for just a bit longer, he'd find something. He was sure of it. They couldn't hide from old Harold Coomer! He just...just had to try harder, was all. It was his fault he hadn't found anything yet. He couldn't stop.

He couldn't.

She knew. That's why she tried to stop him herself, give him an ultimatum. Pick work or the relationship. Because it hurt, it hurt her to see him like this, and to know that she couldn't help,

He'd seen in her eyes, she'd known his choice before he even said it. But she hadn't understood why. And in that emotional moment, he told her his reasons. What he knew of what happened. Why he couldn't walk away. Why she needed to, for her own safety. Everything.

After their tearful goodbyes, she had left, with an 'I love you'. He hadn't seen her again since.

His fingers ghosted over the note in his hand, returning to himself for a moment. It had been the last note Dr. Freeman had sent him, back when he had still been ill. An apology note, and a mention of owing him pizza. (How funny that had been, back then.)

He remembered few things from then clearly, but the aftermath was clear. As people had become quieter and quieter about Dr. Freeman, Harold had roped in Calhoun to try to get some evidence, since neither of them were willing to let go. They'd gotten together to travel to the level three dorms, and once they'd been at Dr. Freeman's apartment, Calhoun had picked the lock with ease. (The fact that the key he'd been given hadn't worked had added to their fear, their worries.)

Inside, it looked untouched from how the young scientist must have left it. His bed was half made, his fridge hadn't been cleaned out (much to Calhoun's dismay, he'd been the one to open it), his notes and books scattered across the table.

Also on the table had been an unfinished note. To Calhoun, thanking him for the soup recipe. Soup had been crossed out, and replaced with broth. Broth had then also been crossed out, and he'd written soup again.

Calhoun had taken the note when they'd left. Harold didn't stop him.

It had been even worse for him, when Bubby was gone. He'd known from the start that it wasn't an accident. The part of the facility that Bubby had always been stuck in, suddenly collapsing and being engulfed by flames? After Bubby had missed their plans? No, he wasn't stupid. They'd done something to him, and that increased his suspicion that they'd also done something to Dr. Freeman.

Calhoun had been the one to propose breaking into Bubby's dorm, just in case. He'd practically moved into Harold's, but he still had his own, and maybe...maybe they'd find something there. Unlikely, but a chance. Harold gladly took him up on the offer. He had no idea how Calhoun had talked the other security guard into looking the other way, but he knew better than to ask certain questions.

Once they had gotten inside Bubby's dorm, with another key not functioning and requiring some quick lockpicking, it was almost entirely empty. It had to have been cleared out before they'd gotten there. After tearing the place apart, the only thing the two had found was a framed polaroid that had fallen behind the bookcase. It was a picture of their entire group they called the Science Team, Calhoun included, with Bubby and Harold in the middle of the group. It was labeled with Bubby's handwriting.

He took it with him as they left. Calhoun didn't say anything to him, either.

He blinked slowly, before letting out a sigh. He'd gotten sidetracked in memories again. It was a common occurrence since then. What had he been doing...? He set the note down, looking back at his computer screen.

Right, he'd been searching through Black Mesa files. He'd been given a new login specific for this research, a gift from 'someone in administration', but even with that as an all access pass he still hadn't been able to come up with anything. It had been so long, to still come up with nothing.

He startled as he heard a loud electrical sound, before a solid thump, in the hall outside his office. He turned quickly to look at the door, but his breath stuck in his chest as he thought he heard a voice.

"Bubby! Dr- Dr. Coomer-" It was a voice he could not be hearing, and he knew it. He couldn't be hearing Dr. Freeman's voice, five years after his disappearance. "T-Tommy! H-help!"

He launched himself out of his chair, hearing his mouse clatter off of his desk, knocking the chair to the floor as he sprinted for the door, and threw it open. He took off down the hall, hearing his pulse echo in his ears with each step. But he found nothing. Nothing other than a scuffed shoeprint that had likely already been there for weeks. No one ever seemed to clean on his floor.

He walked back to his office with sadness, closing his eyes as he mentally reprimanded himself for his foolishness. Of course. It wasn't him. That was simply a hopeful dream.

He moved partially into the room, leaning against the door jam, when something caught his eye. He blinked slowly. The chair was on it's four legs, like it had been before he knocked it over. And his mouse was back in place on his desk.

Had he imagined it? Maybe, but for something fake, it had sure felt...well, surprisingly real. He shook his head, rubbing at his temples as he returned to his seat. He wasn't sleeping enough lately, that was the problem. It had to be. He'd...just look a little longer, and then he'd go to bed for the night.

Harold rolled his shoulders as he looked at his computer screen, hand about to land on his mouse, when he saw the file the mouse cursor was hovering over. His eyes widened, and he leaned a bit closer. He clicked it quickly, starting to skim through, and his heart skipped a beat. A new project, started very quickly after Dr. Freeman went missing, containing discussion about the crystal resonation projects they had cancelled after his disappearance?

That was it. His white whale, found at last. He only hoped it wouldn't end the same way for him as it did in the literature.

But the more he read, the less at ease he felt, and the more angry he became. This was the truth. What they'd done with Dr. Freeman, why they'd taken Bubby from him. He committed it to memory, making sure to go over every detail. He'd always had a knack for recollection, and now more than ever was a time to put it to use.

He couldn't let himself forget. Not ever.

He took a slow breath, as he got to the end of the information in the paper. They'd mentioned concerns about his cloning project. That they were worried that the military would start approaching them about military cloning, now that their 'perfect human' experiment had been terminated before they could get in on that. They were going to take him, soon.

He closed his eyes for a moment, taking a breath again, before he stood up. He felt...almost a sense of peace, as he came to terms with what he must do. He stood up, reaching into a drawer in his desk, and pulled out a sealed envelope. He'd had it written up, just in case. In case he couldn't deliver it himself. But now, he guessed he would get that chance.

He looked back at his computer, resting a hand on the monitor. "...I do not know what has helped me, to gain this information after so long." He spoke quietly, a faint smile on his face. "But be it luck, divine intervention, or something else entirely...thank you." He turned off the system, tidied up his desk, and looked back at his office one last time. He smiles a bit more, closing the door.

On his way back to his dorm, he dropped the letter off in the mailroom. He wished he'd written more, but...well, he never thought he'd get that far. And he couldn't write them now. He needed all the sleep he could get.

Tomorrow would be a big day.

-

The file would be updated, days later, listing an unexpected event that had occurred in Biological Research:

Harold Coomer, also known as Subject H3, had awoken in a shared mental state along with his four clones. That in itself was not unusual, Subject H3 had previously often awoken in said state. However, the five had not shared their mental state in months, not since the trauma that Subject H3 had reported the prior year with the loss of Subject 83. And even then, Subject H3 had reported less sharing of mental state after the disappearance of [REDACTED].

During this time of shared mental state, sometimes colloquially referred to by the Coomer Collective as 'the hivemind state', the five had left their intended stations to journey to Biological Research. This, again, was not unexpected. Subject H3 and his clones often wandered as their attention did. But to all convene at the same time at a location was unusual.

Each of the five entered a different office, each office belonging to a high up member working on the project this file is dedicated to. Each of the five was armed with a pistol. Subject H3 spoke at length with the previous lead supervisor, who had pressed a button to record the interaction, just in case. We are lucky he did so, though the project team also believes that Subject H3 would have told us the truth anyway. He has said he has nothing to hide.

The clones are currently awaiting autopsy, to determine what caused such a catastrophic failure. ...Though we are well aware of the cause, and that it was not a failure, but a rebellion. It was an act, a provocation to cause the end. Self defense against a mind gone haywire, an easy solution to a problem on paper. We had been planning out how to go about causing a similar situation, to end Subject H3's experimental program. He followed our idea, turned it into a full on plan.

Subject H3 is far too smart for his own good. He choreographed it all. Said he'd take care of making it look like an accident, since we wanted to play games so much. 'Destruction of the project is required on your end. I've given you that. Now give me, what I want.' Revealed exactly what it is he wanted. To be reunited with Subject 83, and [REDACTED].

We will give him this, as he asks. However, he is still an active threat to our project, and dangerous. He showed this by letting his emotions cloud his judgement, and eliminating our project lead. He will act out against those he deems a threat. And he seems to very much consider us, and his clones, a threat.

Subject H3 will be joining the Project shortly. We are currently running through several experimental ideas for what we can use him for. More cloning tests are obvious, as are prosthetic tests. Augmenting limbs with metal and silicone. Perhaps we can also find a way to keep him docile.

On record, Subject H3 will have met an unfortunate fate. We would pass along news to his next of kin, but with his divorce and lack of children he has no one to tell.

Our work continues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This scene has haunted me since the beginning. I've spent two weeks writing it. I hope it's decent.  
> This is the saddest that UoU will get. No more heartbreak, can't take it, no thanks.
> 
> Translation for the final sequence: Dr. Coomer awoke in his hivemind state, controlling his four clones. He used them and himself to threaten five members of the Resonance Project. He then had the four clones move as if they were about to attack, causing the four members of the project to take out the clones. Dr. Coomer then used that as a bartering chip, saying that he'd given them what they wanted (the appearance of a safety failure of the cloning project), so now they get to give him what he wanted (to get back to Dr. Freeman and Bubby). The end bit is clear enough to stand on it's own I think, but the Coomer stuff isn't from his perspective, so I wanted to clarify.


End file.
